The 2-stroke is NOT dead.
"Mercury OptiMax, Evinrude E-TEC, Nissan TLDI and Yamaha HPDI engines are all direct-injected, yet each brand boasts a proprietary method for shooting a plume of vaporized fuel directly into the combustion chamber. What they share in common is the way high-pressure injection shatters the fuel charge into micron-size droplets exposing a greater surface area to oxygen."
It is said that the Merc has the lowest emissions in the U.S. and because oil is injected directed onto moving parts no 'fogging' for winter storage is needed.
Now all we need in North America is a population of ecology-minded people who want 150 mpg mopeds.